Q: I have a plant called Tower of Jewels that is similar to Pride of Madeira but different in flower color. What can I expect from it?

<strong>Tower of Jewels is a biennial plant that spends its first year as a large gray-green rosette of long, narrow leaves. The second year, a single flower spike grows from the center of the leafy rosette in early spring. (Ottillia “Toots” Bier, Contributing Photographer)</strong>

A: Many gardeners are familiar with the blue-flowered Pride of Madeira, Echium fastuosum, but few know about its close relative Tower of Jewels, Echium wildpretii, with its rosy-colored flowers. Perhaps that is because they are still a bit hard to find, but resolute gardeners may find them at botanic garden plant sales and similar places.

Tower of Jewels is a biennial plant that spends its first year as a large gray-green rosette of long, narrow leaves. The second year, a single flower spike grows from the center of the leafy rosette in early spring. This spike may grow up to six or more feet tall and will be covered with small rose-red flowers. While in flower, the blossoms are attractive to bees, hummingbirds, and other nectar lovers. A group of them in full flower might make you think you have been transported to another planet.

Once all the flowers have faded, the plant dies, but if the flower spike has been allowed to mature and drop its seeds, the plant will reseed. The seedlings will grow all through summer and will flower the following spring, maintaining a succession of flowering plants from year to year. The best news is that they are drought tolerant, hardy to about 20 degrees, and will thrive in full sun in any soil that has good drainage. For gardeners looking for an easy to grow plant that is amazingly exotic in appearance, Tower of Jewels is an ideal choice.

Q: We are growing watermelons in our garden for the first time. We have a lot of small fruits growing on the vines. How will we know when the watermelons are ripe?

A: Most experienced gardeners have their own “foolproof” method of determining watermelon maturity, but a little bit of luck is involved in all of the methods.

First, check the seed packet for haw many days to maturity that your variety requires. Are you close to the time specified? Next is the sound test. If you thump the melon and the sound is clear and high, the melon is not ready. If the sound is dull or low, the melon may be ready. Third is to look at the tendril closest to the melon. If the tendril is green, the melon is not ready; if the tendril is dead, the melon may be ripe. The final test is to look at the spot on the bottom of the melon. If the spot is whitish, the melon is not ripe, but if the spot is yellow, the melon is probably ripe. Using these four indicators should improve your ability to find that perfectly ripe watermelon. Good luck!